Somber Thoughts on Sunday (Pt. 1)

It has long been held – at least since the “discovery” of The New World in the late 15^th century – that primitive societies who knew nothing of taxes, the wheel, Holy Mother Church, smallpox, cholera or gunpowder were more attuned to the Ways of Nature than their more civilized European conquerors. Like their animal brethren, they were said to possess a sense of when their last dawn or final sunset was close at hand. For all I know, this is still a commonly held belief, even though primitive societies are as scarce as hen’s teeth these days.

In fact, were anyone to ask, I would posit the sense of the approach of the sad but inevitable was a common human trait for countless generations, when life expectancy was 35 years or so, and mankind was as much predator as prey. But with the advent of civilization, that sense disappeared, probably kicked into that 90% of our brain capacity we supposedly don’t use. Now, of course, everyone wants to live forever. No gray-headed old mossback is supposed to realize they are a heck of a lot closer to their expiration date than their children and grandchildren are to theirs.

But “Sixty is the new forty!” And (the TV assures us), “Seventy is the new fifty!”

Don’t get me wrong: I’ve never subscribed to the “act your age” nonsense. The BP stance on aging is, “As long as you’re alive, you need to act like it.” That’s it. But don’t be suckered in by marketing catch phrases. You can bet your insurance provider – for home, health, or automotive coverage – hasn’t been.

But some members of the ultra-rich caste will spend more money than you’ll ever see on special treatments and procedures they believe will allow them to trip the light fantastic, do the horizontal bop all night long, and continue to beef up their bank accounts when they are well past the century mark. But I digress …

That trait is still there, hidden in our brain or etched onto what is often referred to as “junk DNA,” stuff we no longer need or use, thanks to evolution. But if it is awakened, or somehow awakens on its own, what then? Will we recognize it for what it is, and act accordingly? Or will we attribute it to something we ate, a celebrity break-up, the Super Bowl, anything but what it is? Who listens to their body anymore?

Of course, the obvious question here is, even if you do recognize it, what’s meant by “act accordingly’?

There was a time when a person would give away all their possessions, then head off into the jungle, the forest primeval, the desert, wherever. That was in the primitive, bad old bygone days. But now, thanks to the divine gift of civilization with its societal and legal prohibitions, any such actions are no longer an option. It’s too easy and makes too much sense. Nobody rides off into the sunset anymore. So, I don’t know. Your definition of “act accordingly” would certainly be as good as mine. I wish I had an answer for you.

(More to come.)